


Facing the Faceless

by OrianaGray



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Nightmares, haha will I ever stop venting my problems through characters?, klance, nopeeee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 10:44:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7888165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrianaGray/pseuds/OrianaGray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith's past is continuing to haunt him the moment he falls asleep, making it impossible for him to ever fall back to sleep. When Lance confronts him for it, he finds himself opening up in ways he never thought he could.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Facing the Faceless

**Author's Note:**

> "Lay with me my dear  
> In the evening clear  
> I'll be dreaming in  
> My paper pale skin"  
> -Mama's Gun, Glass Animals

            _Burn. His lungs burned and his knees stung with each harsh connection his feet made with the ground. Voices laughed out, whooping and calling out for him as he ran, sweat slicking his face and his heart thundering in his ears. He had to hide, could he hide? He was in a clearing, no, he could only run. So he did._

_Freak, freak, hey freak! The words rang out like the chorus to a twisted melody, ringing in his ears and sticking in his head. He coughed and sputtered as he leered forward, each muscle in his body screaming in protest as he collapsed. The thick ‘clack, clack, clack’ of footsteps made him result to something begrudgingly pitiful- he crawled. A foot stomped down on his leg and halted him, he hissed at the contact. Grass scratched at his skin harshly as he struggled, trying anything to possibly just get away.  Freak, freak, freak._

_Eyes bore down on him, sneers and snarled lips of a group of others. They stared down at the orphan boy with malice, one reaching down and grabbing him by the collar. Yanking him to his feet- a purpling on the other’s eye socket showed clearly from the blow the boy had managed to get on him before running off. A soft tsk left their lips as something clicked behind them, an outstretched palm drops something shiny into his captor’s hand. The switchblade was held up to him, dangerously close to the squirming boy’s cheek. Words of cruelty slurred together and pain singed across his cheek as-_

Keith sat up with a choked gasp, his hand gripping at his cheek tightly. His sheets were tangled and wound across his legs- most likely from all of the running. His hand slides down his sweat-slicked cheek, landing unceremoniously on the bed. He coughs as his breaths come out uneven and choppy, his body shaking rapidly. His mind was going haywire, spiraling into a mode completely panic blown that had each of his breaths seeming to have no victory.  His trembling fingers tore at the sheets desperately- untangling them from his body as he pushed himself to his feet and stumbled towards the door.

 

            The castle seemed to blur together as he walked, he hated this feeling. The feeling of having no power or control, in real life- if those kids, fully grown now of course, were to approach him they would have a snowball’s chance in hell of even managing to reach him. But in his dreams? They had all the power in the universe.

 

            He huffed through his nose, fists clenching around his Bayard as he stood in the center of the training room, “Begin training sequence.” He grits out through clenched teeth. The room complies as the gladiator slams down before him- staff clenched between polished white metal hands. All it takes is a thought and his sword appears, the mechanical being lurches forward but Keith is quicker. His body lunging forward and arm cutting upward- the gladiator acknowledges the deadly slice across it’s abdomen- skittering backward with it’s singular glowing eye flickering for a moment before it charged forward.

 

            Keith grunts as he parried his sword against the spear, the sheer amount of force making his feet skid across the slick floor with a loud squeak. A low growl escapes him and he shoves his weight forward, the robot stumbles as he draws his sword away and ducks beneath the staff as it swings above him. He tucks down and braces his arms against the floor as he kicks at the shins of the gladiator, the contact making a cracking noise- it lets out a serious of protesting beeps as it loses balance- collapsing backward. Keith sneers as he jumps up to his feet, bracing his foot on the things chest and pulling his sword backward driving it forward with no hesitation.

 

In the faceless shine of the gladiator he saw the faces of those whom he hated, in the faceless shine he saw the many faces of those who has wronged him- who had pushed him and tortured him making his life a living hell that no kid should ever experience. But as his sword drove downward it halted just above where the heart would be, his body trembling as he saw, as he saw what haunted him the most-

 

In the faceless shine of the Gladiator, he saw his own face.

 

“E-end training sequence.” He stuttered as his Bayard drew back into its original form. The gladiator complied with a beep, it’s pearly body slumping to the floor. Keith panted for air, rubbing his eyes harshly with the flats of his palms. Tears smudging against the sweat soaked leather of his gloves. He saw himself, of course he did, he was the most pathetic- he was the one who coward down when those awful bullies would approach him. He was the one who couldn’t stop his snarky comments before they rambled out of his mouth, the freak, the freak-

 

“Whatcha doin’?”

 

In an instant the blade of Keith’s sword was mere centimeters away from Lance’s neck. Lance gave a bored look at the blade, his sleep mask lazily pulled up and resting in his hair- which was sticking out in awkward places from sleep. His feet bare and pajama’s still loosely clinging to his lanky body. Clearly, he wasn’t sentient enough yet to process the fact that Keith nearly beheaded him, as he blinked slowly and gently pushed the blade away from his throat with the edge of his finger. “Well, good early morning to you too, pal.”

 

“What do you want, Lance?” Keith grunts, rubbing at his eye once more with his palm. He probably looked like a pathetic wreck at the moment, his eyes read and puffy with sweat and tears coating his face. He didn’t need Lance, of all people on board this ship, to be the one to see him in this state.

 

“Well, I couldn’t sleep.” Lance states groggily, plopping down on his rump beside Keith, “And I was walking around, now really- I couldn’t tell if you were training or getting off when I passed by and-“

 

“ _Lance!”_ Keith spat, his cheeks burning red as he pressed his palms to either side of his temples. He really wasn’t in the mood for this, he wasn’t in the mood for anything that could possibly be boiling inside Lance’s brain at the moment. Lance shrugs and waves his hands dismissively.

 

“What? I really can’t tell with you, dude.” Lance leans back on his elbows and smirks when he notices Keith glaring at him from the floor, but the smirk drops as fast as it arrives- replaced by a look of concern, “Hey are you crying?”

 

Keith grimaces, turning his head away from Lance, “No, you’re tired and just seeing things.” He pauses, coughing as he added “I’m not weak- I don’t cry.” He couldn’t see it, but he could _feel_ the look of dismay Lance was giving him. He had seen Lance cry a multitude of times, but for some reason he could understand _that_. It was human to miss people and Earth for that matter. But Keith was stuck in a loop, he wasn’t crying over loss- he was crying over what he didn’t do and what had been done. He cried over what haunted him, he cried over the face in the faceless shine.

 

Fingers gently turning his head to the side halted his thoughts, two rich brown eyes stared down a him. Lance’s eyebrows were furrowed and his lips drawn downward into a frown. “Keith,” His voice was borderline scolding, “I don’t know where to start. Crying isn’t weak, for one- for two, what the quiznak is up with you? I saw you stop when fighting the gladiator, you _never_ hold back… What’s wrong?”

 

Keith sighs- pushing some of hair out of his face- he was trying not to think about how Lance’s fingers didn’t leave his face, or the grave expression of concern Lance was currently wearing, “I keep having nightmares, it’s nothing really. It’s just hard to sleep again after I wake up from them.”

 

“Oh?” Lance hums, drawing his fingers away from Keith’s face. He lays down beside Keith, gingerly lacing his fingers and resting them on his stomach. “Nightmares are the worst, I had them a lot too when I was younger.” Keith looked at the other, whose eyes were staring dreamily at the ceiling- his eyebrows were still furrowed, “I used to wake up in the middle of the night, sweating so bad. It was always these awful dreams about losing my family.” He frowns, shaking his head “I would wake up bawling my eyes out. I tiptoed out of me and my siblings room and would often sneak into my parents bed and curl up with my mom. She always…” He pauses as he licks his lips, eyes slightly glassy, “She always knew what to do to make me feel better, she would press kisses to my forehead- I could have sworn they were magic, and she would do this thing where she pets my hair gently until I fell back asleep. I never had those nightmares as long as I was with her.”

 

Keith turned his head towards Lance, tears slipping down the others tan cheeks. Keith felt the gears turning in his own mind as he stared at Lance, “You had a nightmare too, didn’t you?” Lance bit his lip and nodded, turning so he was looking at Keith. His eyes were bright and features slack, something in the way Lance stared at Keith made his insides churn- in a good way of course, maybe- he wasn’t all too sure.

 

Keith ignored the feeling of heat in his cheeks as he spoke, “My nightmares are usually about these bullies that used to come after me when I was a kid. I wasn’t really tough back then and they just loved to exploit me because I wasn’t like them.” Lance shook his head, wiping his tears away with his long fingers. For a moment Keith resisted the urge to wipe them away himself, he shoved the thought down as he made an alternative of curling his fingers into his own t-shirt instead.

 

“People bullied you?” Lance asks, Keith nods his dark lips pinched harshly together. Lance resisted the urge to reach forward and kiss those dark lips, instead he made an alternative out of asking, “Why?”

 

Keith grunted, shaking his head “I don’t know. I was weird? I guess? I never really had filter and was pretty blunt about everything,  kids didn’t like that I guess. People liked me more in Garrison, but really I think it was the thought of me. Because no one actually talked to me, only _about_ me.”

 

“Sounds lonely.” Lance says before he can stop himself, Keith hums with a shrug.

 

“You get used to it.” Keith’s nose scrunches, “I thought I was over it, but my brain is just all-“ He waves his hands as he searches for the word dropping his hands back to floor when he finds none, “I don’t know, really. I think my brain has a personal vendetta against me sometimes. It’s not really the kids I worry about, it’s more of the fact that I didn’t stop them.” He felt tears welling up in his eyes, as he reaches his hand up to rub them away- Lance’s hand catches his wrist.

 

“No.” Lance growls, “That’s so unfair! That’s stupid, Keith. You shouldn’t have to stop them; you’re supposed to have someone that was supposed to help you out.”

 

“Well, I didn’t.” Keith says, his eyes not leaving Lance’s hand.

 

“And that’s why I’m upset.” Lance spits, “That sucks, those kids were shallow. They picked on you because you _weren’t like them_ , that’s so petty! T-the fact that no one stood up for you is even worse, if I were there I would have made those kids run to there mothers in tears for treating you like that!” Keith was shaking now, tears welling up in his eyes for a whole new reason, “I always had my siblings and Hunk, and they had me! I wish I knew you then, I wish I-“

 

Lance’s rant was cut short as Keith kissed him, his eyes squeezed shut and tears pouring down his cheeks. Keith pulls back a moment, gasping “N-no one’s ever really told me that before.” He admits, fingers coiling into the elastic of Lance’s sleep mask. Lance stared at Keith with wide eyes, his face coated with crimson. “E-everyone just l-looks at me like I’m a kicked puppy, you k-know. I hat-e it.” He hiccups. Lance shook away his daze and pressed his palms against Keith’s wet cheeks.

 

“Shh, shh it’s okay.” Lance says, drawing Keith closer, “Let it out, cry it out.” Keith sobbed into Lance’s shoulder, hands coiling into Lance’s pajama shirt with shaking fists. Lance never really knew Keith was capable of an emotion other than anger, the shaking man in his arms was something he could easily say that he never suspected. Perhaps it should have been more obvious, the fact that this guy was bottling so much up- it was bound to all blow up in the poor guys face at some point. Lance’s stomach was fluttering, his face dug deep into that stupid fluffy mullet that was so _ridiculously_ soft.

 

“Lance, Lance, Lance.” Keith muttered into the soaking fabric of Lance’s shirt, Lance ran his tongue over his lip- humming into Keith’s hair, “I-I think I want to try to go to sleep but…” His voice drifted off, how was he supposed to say it? The question was embarrassing enough as it was- “I don’t want to be alone.”

 

“I don’t want you to be alone.” Lance whispered stroking Keith’s back reassuringly, “You can-“ He clears his throat, “You can stay with me if you want.” Lance felt Keith’s shaking body stiffen a moment before relaxing, hand gripping a little tighter into that dumb striped pajama shirt as Keith nodded.

 

“Mm’kay.” Lance says slowly, celebrating internally “You’re going to half to get off of me if we want to go anywhere though.” Keith nodded again silently, sitting back up with a sniff. He wouldn’t say it, but it felt nice to drop the act of being okay. It felt great, actually- no stress of having to seem like he was tough through and through, because in reality, he wasn’t- he was very much human.

 

Lance followed Keith, not before gently wiping the tears from Keith’s face, staring at those puffy blue eyes that were clouded with those crystalline tears. Lance felt his heart swell as he leaned forward and kissed Keith’s eyelids when he closed them. Gently grabbing Keith’s hand and guiding him to his room.

 

Keith’s heart was pounding as he truly began to think about the situation. He had kissed Lance, he had _kissed_ Lance and Lance had kissed him. He cried in front of someone for the first time in forever and he felt okay, he was beyond okay with it because it was Lance…

 

Keith noted the discarded headset on the ground and how the sheets were similar looking to Keith’s- in the manner of they looked as if Lance had torn them from his body. Lance sat down on the edge of the bed and gently pulled Keith to him, Keith let Lance pull him down- moving them so that they were laying side by side. Lance- who was more adjusted to this kind of human contact immediately grabbed onto Keith- drawing him in to himself as Keith awkwardly wrapped his arm around Lance’s torso.      He felt those long fingers curl into his hair, petting him in a way that made Keith sigh and nuzzle closer to the lanky boy. He could see how that would help Lance fall asleep as a child… That reminded him of something.

 

He leaned upward, imagining all of his happy thoughts were tiny particles- pretending that they all centered in his lips for just a brief moment. As he presses a chaste kiss to Lance’s forehead he imagines that all of those positive thoughts flowed to Lance, that they would protect him. Lance blinked, staring at Keith with those soft eyes and softer smile as he pulled Keith closer- pressing small kiss and saying things that sounded like Spanish as he nuzzles his nose against Keith’s cheek. Keith felt his eyes drooping after a while, as those long fingers wound in his dark hair and thin lips pressed repeatedly against his temples between soft whispers of adoration. Out of everyone in the ship it had been Lance that walked in the door and somehow, it made everything less overwhelming. He had been wrong, he needed Lance, out of everyone on this ship- to see him in that state.

 

For the first time since he can remember, Keith can fall asleep with the most peaceful dream he's had in years.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Drop by and say "Hiya!" on my instagram: Oriana_gray, twitter: Oriana_gray, and//or my tumblr: http://orianagray.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!! Have a lovely day ;V


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